Darth Dedecus- The Golden Legacy
by SWTORfan195
Summary: The story of Darth Dedecus and Darth Cognus.
1. Prologue

Collab between myself (SWTORfan195) and NinjaMaster227. It's a story following the Banite Sith after Darth Millenial was excommunicated from Darth Cognus. Her new apprentice, Darth Dedecus comes from being an outcast from a Mandalorian clan to a powerful sith lord. Darth Cognus is a relentless mentor, the young sith must prove himself worthy, or suffer the same fate as Millenial...

Prologue- The price of honor

Canderous was in the prime of his youth, in his early twenties, he had already proven himself through not one, but several Mandalorian tests. Born on the planet Ord Mantell, and named after Mandalore the Preserver, he was far from the home world, but not from the ideals of his family. At age 16, he ventured into a cave which had several rumors surrounding it. Some said it housed unspeakable horrors, others thought it was just a place for hermits and outcasts to eat their lunch. The cave housed a venomous beast, which Canderous decapitated with his vibroblade. His clan had an epic feast on that day. His second legendary battle, he won a duel against the best known duelist of the Mandalorian clan. All of this greatly impressed his uncle, who was none other than Mandalore the Honorable.

His uncle saved dozens of alien villages from gangs, pirates and bandits. Eventually, he ascended to the rank of Mandalore, after Mandalore the Wise passed away of old age. Canderous' father was killed by a bounty hunter, who himself was later slain. His mother, was a jedi master, and had to give him up to someone she thought could take care of him. Her mother told Mandalore the Honorable to tell Canderous she was sorry. Canderous knew that his immediate family were legends who would forever be remembered by Mandalorians to come. He knew he had big shoes to fill.

However, all was not well. One day, after Canderous witnessed a group of muggers harassing a young girl, he killed them, even after they surrendered. This was the final straw. While Canderous would always try to seek justice, he would often let his desire for revenge get the better of him. He had to face trial for his crimes.

"The hearing is now in session, all bow before Mandalore." Canderous was anxious and nervous. He felt he could finally justify doing what he did. Mandalore the Honorable stood up on his podium. The hearing was taking place on an unimpressive hill surrounded by boulders of various sizes. Mandalore frequently wore silver armor which did not weigh much. Today, he was wearing his gold robes over it. His mask resembled that of Mandalore the Ultimate, but had alternating black and white streaks instead of gold and black. Mandalore spoke "Canderous, you are here today because you have been accused of murder."

The look of disapproval was all over Canderous' face. He interjected "I didn't murder anyone! I SAVED dozens of lives, something you yourself did many times." A fellow clansmen yelled "Don't you dare compare yourself to Mandalore, even if you are his nephew."

Mandalore the Honorable took off his mask and looked at his nephew. His eyes filled with regret. He quietly stated "I have reviewed the evidence Canderous. You must be banished from the clan. Needless violence is something I vowed to eliminate from the Mandalorian way of life. You are disavowed, and must leave Ord Mantell."

Canderous said "How about we duel instead. If I win, you step down and I become Mandalore. If you win, I'll leave."

All of the clansmen stared at Canderous. They couldn't believe he had just made such a bold declaration.

Mandalore said "You must leave." Canderous drew his vibrosword and rushed towards his uncle. His uncle drew an electrostaff and parried the horizontal strike. Canderous lifted the blade above his head, preparing to strike his uncle in a hammer-like fashion. Mandalore proved too experienced for the young warrior. Mandalore ran forward, grabbed Canderous' hilt and stabbed him with an electrostaff, paralyzing him. Canderous was injured. Though the strike wasn't fatal, he wouldn't be able to continue. Just then, something unusual happened. Canderous was filled with rage. So much so that he was completely revitalized. His uncle was taken aback. Canderous grabbed his uncle by the throat and pushed him against a boulder. There was so much force that the very ground shook. Mandalore kicked Canderous' stomach, which sent him to the ground. Using his rage, Canderous took a gun from the holster of one of his fellow clansmen. Mandalore lunged forward to knock his nephew back to the ground. Mandalore seized an opening and punched Canderous as hard as he could with his metallic gloves. Canderous went out cold.

When Canderous awoke, he was no longer on Ord Mantell. In fact, the whole landscape was a jungle. After yelling at the top of his lungs and cursing Mandalore, he eventually settled into the reality. He was all alone, in an unknown wilderness. He was overcome with guilt. The clouds began to thunder, the rain started pouring in sheets. Canderous knew he would have to find shelter, and hopefully some other people or aliens to camp with.

After an hour walking in a dense, dark jungle, he came across an old structure. He approached it cautiously. Just then, he heard blaster fire, and immediately ducked behind a tree. Peeking out, he saw a Rodian. The Rodian yelled out "GET OUT OF HERE!" Canderous was more shocked to hear the Rodian speak Basic rather than his random shooting. Canderous, slowly approached the Rodian, and grabbed the blaster. He yelled out "wait, wait, I just need a place to camp for a little bit."

The Rodian calmed down. The tension immediately diffused. He said "come on in, just be quick, we don't need those beasts discovering our location."

Canderous walked inside the dimly lit structure. It looked like the remains of an old building. The Rodian was not alone. He saw a Togruta and another human playing pazaak. The Rodian walked Canderous into a room with a few chairs. They both sat down. The Rodian then introduced himself. "My name is Lurnas." The Togruta we call "Tentacles" and the human is Davik." We crash landed here a few months back, hoping to find a way off this rock, but no one has answered our call." Canderous' eyes widened. "Where exactly are we?" Lurnas took a sip of his drink and said "at first we thought we were on Dxun, the jungle moon of Onderon." We surveyed the land for the first few days, and compared it to our maps. Dxun was much larger, and had beaches. This planet we are on is all jungle as far as we know. Every mountain top, every valley I've seen has been full of vegetation. When I look over to the horizon, I see more of the same." Canderous said "how is it that no one knows what planet this is?" Lurnas took another sip and said "I am not sure." He then said: "we were on our way to Ilum from Alderaan when we encountered some unknown interference. Before we knew it, our engines gave in, and we were all knocked unconscious. Our crew had eight members, but we only have three left. We've assumed the worst."

Canderous said "I was knocked unconscious on Ord Mantell. I haven't the slightest idea how I came here. What I do know is, if we are going to stay on this planet, we need to expand our territory." Just then the Rodian dropped his glass. It shattered on the floor. He then said "We don't go beyond this region. Out there, there are wild beasts and unknown terrors. Something menacing exists out there."

Canderous felt a chill run down his spine. Normally, danger makes him anxious and daring. This time, he felt genuine fear. This sounded like nothing he ever faced before. Canderous then asked "do you have any guns or vibroblades? I need to go out and get some food."

The Rodian said "I'll give you my spare blaster, but be back before nightfall. There is something not right about this planet." Canderous ran off into the forest. The trail he hiked earlier had grass about one meter tall. Where he was heading, the grass quickly increased in height, until it was even taller than he was. Canderous heard some ruffling in the grass. He paused. He noticed it was already past dusk, and he was well over a mile away from camp. The sound grew louder. Canderous began to nervously shoot in the thickness. Just then, a giant worm-like creature came out from under the ground. It didn't even have a head, only a mouth and a body, with some follicles hanging off the side of its body. The worm dove for Canderous, who shot the blaster into its mouth. The worm screeched, and tackled Canderous to the ground. Just then, Canderous pulled out his poisonous pocket vibroknife and attempted to stab the worm. He didn't account for its fast reflexes. The worm was getting ready to lunge on Canderous. Just then, Canderous became filled with hatred. The air around him began to thicken, and the worm started acting strange. Canderous lost consciousness, as he saw the worm behaving increasingly erratic.

When Canderous woke up, it was dark, but there were signs of dawn approaching. He saw the worm lying motionless on the ground, with green slime oozing out of most of its body. He was confused as to what happened. As he started walking back to what he thought was the direction of the camp, he pondered the rage he felt when fighting Mandalore. Something strange was going on. He thought maybe it was somehow related to the fact that his mother was a Jedi. He didn't think he was force sensitive, since this "power" only started manifesting when he angry and in mortal danger. He knew though without this power, he would've been worm food, Mandalorian or not.

As Canderous was making his solemn walk back to camp too tell his new companions of his battle with the worm. Else way on the other side of the galaxy the secret Lord of The Sith Darth Cognus was meditating, trying to set her angered mind at ease. It had been at least two years since her former apprentice Darth Millenial had fled from her like the unworthy coward he was. His leaving had meant nothing to Cognus the moment she decided he was not worthy to be sith, and uphold "The grand plan"…but what did bother her was the fact that after so much time she had not found a suitable replacement for the traitor. She was a master holding the power of the sith, and their secrets but had no one to crave the power and serve her as an apprentice. It was most troubling situation for her, and the worries that she'd never find another apprentice worried her to the point that she needed to spend more and more time in her mediations chamber.

As she meditated more Cognus focused on her reason for spending more time meditating today then every before. Days ago as the thought that she might never find her new student set in; she was shown a vision of the future through the force. The vision had not been very clear which shocked Cognus since she was always very confident in her visions of the future. Despite being clouded she could still make out one thing in the vision a human man wearing pitch black robes, standing defiantly tall, with a double-bladed lightsaber in one hand and a stream of force lighting in the other, and his yellow red eyes shun like two solar flares forever burning and consuming everything in the galaxy. Congus had no idea how to even begin making sense of her vision, but she did know this the man in her vision defiantly was without a doubt sith. The aura of hate, and anger surrounding him reeked of the dark side and his eyes served as the final confirmation.

After confirming that the man was indeed sith in her vision, Darth Cognus came to her logical answer. "This man is either a sith who might one day destroy me…or he is the apprentice I have been seeking for so long. The one whom if they are worthy enough maybe my successor and take the mantle of lord of the sith from me. Either way I must find him and find out which…but where to begin my search I am a master tracker but I only saw a possible future for this person not them now? I got no slight hint of where they could be this will be my most difficult hunt yet." Cognus thought to herself as she began to shake the room in anger with the force, until from across the galaxy at that moment another sign from the force no doubt she felt a tremor in the darkside of the force. It was only for a few moments but she felt an all to familiar power. It was dark, angry, and full of a hate that outclassed everything else in the galaxy.

Then as the feeling faded almost as fast as it had hit her Darth Cognus stood straight up, looked up at the rooms ceiling which was a complicated self lowering star chart, and allowed a sinister smile to cross the corners her face before saying: "Most intresting its almost like the darkside is demanding I find you young one? I felt there and I now know where to begin if you truly are whom I believe you to be then the galaxy…no universe shall shutter at our combined power. I can see it now Lord Bane's grand plan shall take its next steps with you…apprentice." Cognus said with after flipping back her robes black hood and making her grin horned face completely visible.

In the coming weeks, Darth Cognus used her sensory abilities to detect where the dark side presence was coming from. She was intrigued that there may be someone worthy to be with after all besides herself. She thought to herself that she must either utilize it, or destroy it. She couldn't risk the Jedi finding out. It was not yet time to destroy them. Cognus had an assassin droid disguised as a regular protocol droid. She recently acquired the 4V series touring various regions of the galaxy looking for various with artifacts. Without much to do without an apprentice, she needed hobby. Her 4V series was a far more advanced model than the 2V model used by Darth Nox during Emperor Vitiate's rule. She had him outfitted with two hidden vibroknives coated in unrefined Quesh venom. He also had a few hidden ion grenades added. The droid was essentially close in combat capabilities to an HK unit, only disguised as a harmless droid. His specific designation was unknown, but she just called him 4V-99.

after Cognus felt confident in her tracking abilities. She turned to her droid and said "plot a course for Ilum. This wont be just another treasure hunt." She got into her ship, which was no larger than a typical fighter and head off to the icy planet.


	2. Prologue part II

After a single long day of travel Darth Cognus awoke from within her ships cockpit, as it pulled its self out of hyperspace in orbit around the frozen gem of the galaxy Illum. She gazed at its majesty for several moments taking in the unique comet blue and gray colored landscape of the planet, and the large frozen field that made up its planetary ring. It was as always truly mystifying, however outer beauty no matter how captivating meant nothing to Cognus, even before she had become sith it meant nothing. But what was truly beautiful to Cognus about this almost barren, frozen wasteland, riddled with massive and deadly Gorgodons. Was the fact that it is, and has always been a focus point in the force its self. The jedi discovered it eons ago, and much to Congus rage after doing so they monopolized it's great resource which was its near endless supply of natural forming lightsaber crystals. "The jedi are to great of fools and cowards to use the force the way it was meant to be used. They fear the true power that is gained by enslaving the force they run and hide in the temple they built here like the cowards they are. They are unworthy to even set foot on this sacred point in the force." Cognus thought to herself as she began bringing her ship in for a landing on the planet. As she did she saw part of the immensely massive temple erected by the jedi order a thousand years ago to harvest the crystals both on and under Ilum's surface, the temple distrusted her to no ends. As she punched in and began her ships landing Cognus dipped her head back onto her driver seat and thought of her reason for seeking the planet out. She knew that in the past days it had called to her and after her last powerful vision of the future she would either find the man from her vision here, or find their location here. Of this she was completely sure of there was no doubt for Cognus knew the dark side was guiding her.

Cognus landed her ship on a frozen landing pad coated, and hidden by a raging blizzard. The pad clearly hadn't been used since pre-republic time, and was chosen on purpose to avoid any chance of detection by the jedi stationed at the Ilum crystal temple. "No not yet it is not time for us to meet quite yet jedi scum...it might never be for me? But I can promise you that regardless of if and when I fall, you and your pathetic precious Republic shall feel the cold, dark, heel of the sith crushing your throats before succumbing to your ultimate fate." Cognus said after climbing out of her ship, flipping her hood back on over her horned head, with a thin layer of force energy to block the blizzard from touching her. She walked for several hours through raging snow, up frozen hills, and though iced caves until finally settling up in a dark unfrozen cave. There she after crating a fire for warmth sat down cross legged and began to meditate searching for her sign from the force of where to keep looking for the man from her vision.

Several hollow moments passed before the sound of thumping, deep footsteps ruffled through the snow. Cognus knew she had attracted company they were not strong in the force so they couldn't be jedi...but they were also too strong to be ordinary residences of Illum. After ruling out the only most likely options, and feeling their animalistic rage, and bloodlust through the force Cognus smiled a horrible grin before the first massive Gorgodon came running into her cave. The creature ran straight up to Cognus and sniffed the air around it to find her being forced to do so do to the poor vision, but heighten sense of smell and hearing its species suffered and were gifted with. It stood 3 meters tall off the ground, it ground its massive claws and long pointed tail across the floor as it continued to look for Cognus, its bushels of thick black fur flowed as it searched. Cognus feared nothing from the creature so was not frightened when the monsters other pack mates came blazing into the cave each one beginning its own search for her after roaring at the top of their powerful lungs echoing of the caves walls.

Cognus used a thick but still undetectable blanket of darkside energy to cloak herself from the creatures as they searched for her. She waited to strike searching herself for the leader of the pack wishing to kill it in front of the pack to demoralize them. Soon she found the pack leader whom was a 4 meter tall giant of a gorgodon, with one scared eye and several lightsaber burn scars around its massive body clearly from fighting and killing jedi masters and padwans alike in the temple. After finding the leader Cognus made herself known she let the leader roar and pouch on her. She made no motion to dodge the hulking monster as it came at her. She only stood there and created a layer of force energy so no bones would be broken, and allowed herself to be trapped in the gorgodons unique way of killing full body hold. The sound of the pack grunting and roaring for their leader to bring in the kill was apparent as he attempted to suffocate Cognus. After deciding now was the time to strike them at the packs highest sense of victory Cognus blasted the pack leader off of her with the force, and laughed as he got back up and bolted at her for another go. She danced around the witless creature, for minutes always blasting it into a wall, or throwing rocks at it to anger it before finally in one last attempted whipping out her lightsaber. Then with its burning crimson blade, it severed the back of the leaders' spinal cord not killing it but paralyzing it making it a harmless predator at her mercy. The rest of the pack after seeing their leader be defeated used what little intelligence they had to realize that if they're leader couldn't defeat Cognus they stood no chance, and ran out of the cave screaming. A few of the pack remained and Cognus made short work of them.

After killing the rest of the pack in the cave Cognus felt a surge of power she had gotten from the kills. The anger, and fear the creatures felt at their ends had fed her, and made here stronger in the darkside then she had ever felt in months. Then while feeling this Cognus used the leaders still living form in a sith alchemy blood ritual, combined with the immense amount of force energy in Illums air to provide herself with another vision from the force. "Admittedly not what I had been hoping for but as those jedi fools always say the force works in mysterious ways. I now know where to find you my future enemy or...apprentice a most interesting location indeed no wonder I could not locate you before?" Cognus said out loud to herself after being given the exact location of the man from her dream.

Canderous had been lost for days since leaving his fellow ship wrecked comrades camp. Try has he might he could not find their camp every time he believed he'd found it was only fate playing a cruel joke on him awarding him with either a dead end, or proof that he was going around in circles. He could not sleep if he did he made himself wide open to attacks from more of the jungles predators to attack him which they did. He had almost completely drained the power pack on his blaster and was steadily reaching the end of his hope that he'd find the camp or some kind of way off this damned jungle planet from hell. Because he couldn't sleep his mind had plenty of time to think but alls he could think about was what he'd done when he'd blacked out. What had happened? What was that surge of power he'd gotten from the feelings of anger and hate? How was it powerful enough to kill that massive monster without him so much as having fired a shot from his blaster? And the most plaguing question of all in Dedecus mind..."How do I do it again?"

After more hours of dreadfully dark thoughts, and finding more cruel jokes from fate once again Canderous finally stopped in a wide jungle clearing, doing so in response to the pincher trap he'd fallen into by more of the worm monsters. He was surrounded on all sides by the beasts with absolutely no where to escape from. As a warrior and hunter himself Canderous knew that his end was coming, but like a true Mandalorian he didn't run from it he brandished his blaster and shouted: "I DO NOT FEAR YOU CREATURES I AM MAND'O I DO NOT RUN FROM MY ENEMIES I FACE THEM!" He then began shooting at the worms, he'd nailed a number of them perfectly in their weak spots before the blaster died and they swarmed him. As he saw the monsters massive teeth he felt his ending nearing, and in that millisecond thought of his past once more, and how a life of honor and living by his peoples customs had ultimately betrayed him to this fate. He became furious, he became hateful, and most of all he wanted to make those fools he'd once called his family pay for betraying him. As the raw feelings of hate took him the same power from earlier flowed through him making him stronger, only this time he did not black out. This time he did what he thought was natural, and with an invisible force blasted all the worms off of him destroying dozens of nearby trees and impaling some of them on them. He stood back up tall, reached his arms out and again with the invisible force willed bunches of broken tree and sharp rocks into the air, and then straight back down into more of the worms. Canderous looked around at the carnage and saw most of them had fallen to whatever power had taken him over, and that he'd survive...until in his moment of victory he let his guard down, and one of the worms came blasting out of the ground from under his feet. He had no time to react before it flung him up into the air and then smacked him back onto the ground in a steadily growing pile of blood.

Everything began to get blurry for Canderous as the worm came towards him, he could somehow feel the creatures anger, and hate for him for killing its friends. Then Dedecus looked straight up with his now yellow red eyes and saw the worm go in for the kill or at least he would have if not for it being incinerated in a colossal stream of flowing electricity. The worm fell to the ground as nothing more than a burnt charred husk. After seeing this Canderous was shocked when he saw a black hooded figure walk towards him out of the clearing smoke. He felt something...dark about the figure in the hood but at the same time oddly breathtakingly intriguing. His body ached all over but that did seem to matter to the figure for they somehow lifted him up off the ground and into a few feet floating in mid air. He then heard the figure say after examining him: "Yes...you are indeed powerful that much is for certain...however you lack control or even awareness of your powers. You need someone teach you what real power is and how to harness it, you'll do perfectly...I am the only one here for miles you shall die unless I help you. If not from the wounds, then from the beast venom coursing through your veins, you will surely die. If you wish to live you must swear your loyalty to me, and give your life to me as my apprentice I leave the choice to you?"

Canderous didn't know what to say to the figure he was dumfounded...but he did know that if what they said was true, he'd be dead very soon. He was forced to make a decision either die a pitiful death here on this force forsaken planet...or give himself to this hooded master as their loyal apprentice. Neither option seemed very good to him but then the thought occurred to him if he died here he'd never be able to take his revenge on those whom had betrayed him and that angered him. He made his choice this person was powerful and if they could teach him what power was then he'd gladly give himself to them. He nodded to the figure before blackout from the pain.


	3. Chapter I- Exalted Ambition

Canderous was sitting on a small jet in the tiny little fighter jet his new "master" took him in. In the past few weeks, his life took unbelievable turns. He felt a sense of dread, mixed with a sense of relief. The dark master piloting him to an unknown destination, but at least he met someone who understood his powers. He had a nagging feeling of regret. He was starting to finally feel like he found true friends, only to be yanked into a new life. The chaos of the situation made him jittery. After a long silence, Cognus finally said "I can sense your doubt, your anger…your fear. These things are normal, once we land, I'll explain everything."

Canderous sat there, not sure if it was proper to address his new "master". After mustering up some courage, he finally spoke. "Can you tell me why I have this power? Do you have it too?" Cognus quickly restated "once we land, I will explain everything to you, my new apprentice." Another long silence followed. Canderous eventually dozed off, the intensity of the situation tired even his Mandalorian body.

When they awoke, the shit was on a barren landscape. There was nothing in sight for miles. The air was frigid, and Canderous could see whatever planet they were on, the atmosphere was thin. Cognus stepped out of the ship and walked a few paces forward. Canderous followed her, unsure of what he should be doing. Cognus then took off her hood and said "you and I are rare beings in this galaxy. I'm sure you have heard of something called "the Force?" You and I are chosen to carry its will." Canderous answered "yes, I heard of it. I never really knew my parents. My mother was a jedi knight, or so I was told." Cognus smiled "your mother will never really know how big of a mistake she made when she gave you up to the Mandalorians." Canderous was shocked and asked "how do you know that? Who told you about my life? Raising his tone and approaching Cognus yelled "I DON'T CARE WHO YOU ARE, NO ONE GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO…" Canderous was interrupted by a tightening sensation around his throat. He was slowly lifted in the air. Cognus had her left hand raised in the air, and was slowly tightening her fingers into a fist. As she tightened, the grip turned into a squeeze, and then what seemed like a heavy weight around his throat. Cognus calmly said "I could snap your neck right now, you need to show more respect for a Sith Master". Canderous was enraged, and he thought he would be able to break free from her grip. Much to his horror, his rage was useless. The grip was steady, and it felt impossible to break. He could barely breathe, let alone speak. The Iktochi then released him, and Canderous fell to the floor, gasping for precious air. Cognus came to him and kneeled down. "I know right now things don't make sense to you. You don't know why you have this gift, there is a lot of resentment and ill-will towards your Mandalore, and even your parents." Canderous sat up, still panting and said "I'm sorry, master. I wish to control my power. Can you tell me why exactly you chose me?"

Cognus stood back up and said "the force is a difficult topic to properly define. Essentially, it is the unseen energy that flows through our universe. The force has both a light side, and a dark side. Don't let these names fool you, the dark side is much more than simply negative emotions channeled." Canderous stood up , and the two were looking eye to eye. Cognus was briefly distracted by Canderous' charm and good looks. He seemed to have been sculpted by a master artist, rather than a regular man. Regaining focus she said "The Jedi teach that the force should flow through the individual. In order to achieve this, they empty themselves of emotion. Essentially, they detach. A Jedi's power can be considerable with enough practice and patience. Alternatively, the dark side teaches that emotions should be channeled. Wrath, vengeance, love, all can be channeled to improve the individual. To truly embrace the dark side, you must always seek to best your opponent. You should strive for greater understanding and power, always."

Canderous, who was far more intelligent than his looks would suggest asked "So the Jedi believe unchecked emotions are impossible to control?" Cognus stepped to her left and folded her hands behind her back. She laughed and said "you clearly were meant to be a sith. She continued, "the Jedi argue that straying from the light can "corrupt" a person, turn them into an abomination, a shell of their former selves. The sith on the other hand view embrace of the dark side as the ultimate empowerment, and embracing the light is equivalent to locking your true potential."

Canderous bowed on one knee and said "Master, I'd be honored if you would train me in the ways of the dark side, I'd like to understand the true extent of my power, and if possible, master it." Cognus lifted her hand, and Canderous stood up. "My name is Darth Cognus, and you will one day continue the legacy of my masters. Your first lesson is to abandon your Mandalorian code of honor. " Canderous retorted "it's at the core of everything I do, how can you ask me to just leave that?" Cognus lifted her new apprentice with the force and slammed him on the ground. She then said "Darth Bane said it best: there is no honor in death, my _very _young apprentice. Come, we shall leave Voth and head down to Ambria, the place where my master once claimed the title of "Lord of the Sith."

Canderous was beaten, and new better than to try anything on his fearsome master. He was intrigued by the two sides of the force. He never envisioned his power being quite that complex. He then regretted his mother hadn't turned to the dark side. He knew that he may have to face her someday in mortal combat. Voth was the closest moon to Ambria, and the two arrived on the surface in what seemed like only minutes.

Once the two were out of the cockpit, they saw an old abandoned village on the horizon. Cognus walked in the direction, and her new apprentice followed. Night quickly descended on the planet, but the two reached their destination before it was completely dark. Cognus pulled out her lightsaber and began writing on the ground. After a few minutes, Canderous looked at the first words which said "training routines." He saw a long list of things he had to do on what seemed like a daily basis. Canderous read the first two lines: "Levitate the tree next to the camp." The second line read "Understand the message of Darth Bane." Canderous had no idea who Darth Bane was, though he guessed it was Cognus' master. He looked at the 100-foot tree near the camp, and was astonished that he was expected to lift it from the ground. He had never lifted anything at will before without touching it. The next line read "find a cortosis blade on the other side in the dark cave."

Cognus walked into a tent. Canderous ran to her and stopped her by putting his hand on her shoulder. Cognus looked at him with a death stare. At that point Canderous decided to ask "So, when do I need to finish these tasks?" Cognus laughed and said "you have 24 hours. You can start by levitating small rocks and sticks. I will not tolerate disturbance under any circumstances." With that, Cognus entered her tent, and Canderous walked off. He tried to focus his rage. He envisioned the rock being an enemy which just killed his friend. The rock remained in place. After a few more times of trying to channel his rage, the rock still didn't move. He decided a different approach. He sat down. He closed his eyes, and imagined the rock lifting up. The rock still wouldn't budge. He thought to himself "how the hell do they do that exactly?" He decided he would have better luck by trying to find a cortosis blade. He was familiar with them, as he trained with them in his Mandalorian youth. He saw a cave in the distance, and assumed it was the one Cognus meant. As he peered inside, he could smell the stench of death. He heard a bone-chilling scream coming from inside. A large, lizard like creature came out the cave. Seemingly out of nowhere, he was now surrounded by these beasts. Right as the first beast lunged at him, he ran towards it and punched it directly in its face. The punch had such immense power than the lizard's skull cracked. Suddenly, it all made sense. It was a combination of his will and rage which fueled his power. He then levitated another beast and threw it on top of the other two. The beasts had no idea what to do, so they decided to run away. Canderous felt empowered. Never had he used his power at will. Why hadn't Cognus discovered him sooner? He ventured inside, and sure enough, there were cortosis blades next to a pile of skeletons. The stench of death was sickening, but Canderous felt like he was above it all. He just survived an encounter with beasts which were likely the cause of all the skeletons in the cave. Triumphantly, he walked back to the camp. He put the blade down next his tent, and then began to try to lift the rock again. It moved erratically at first, but eventually, he could elevate and descend the rock telekinetically at will. He snuck by Cognus' tent to see if she was sleeping. As he approached the tent, he felt a sudden tug on his now worn out clothes. Cognus was no doubt using some force power on him, he thought. Canderous tried to break free. Cognus sensed this, and immediately used her superior command of the force to violently pull her apprentice into the tent. He came crashing through, and slammed right into the dark master knocking her down. The two locked eyes, and for a brief moment, both of them felt a spark. It was difficult to describe. Canderous found the Iktochi alluring, but quickly dismissed the thought as nonsense. Cognus knew better. She never felt this kind of connection while training Darth Millenial. She was stricken by her new student. His potential, his looks, and his willingness to listen were all very enticing to the dark master, despite years of disciplined thinking. She kicked him off and scolded him "WHAT ARE YOU DOING? HAVE YOU COMPLETED YOUR TASKS? YOU NEED TO LIFT THAT TREE." Canderous was never so terrified. He scrambled out of the tent, completely forgetting why he approached it in the first place. He tried to lift the tree, but as expected, the tree wouldn't budge. These attempts continued well into the later part of the night. After several hours of trying, his body couldn't take anymore. He went into his tent, and quickly fell into a deep slumber. The next morning, he awoke to a pleasant sunrise. He was still exhausted, but he knew he needed to somehow lift that tree. To his surprise, Cognus was already up, and she was levitating the massive tree seemingly effortlessly. Canderous couldn't believe his eyes. He asked "how did you do that master? I would be honored if you teach me." Cognus let the tree slam to the ground. She force pushed her student to the ground and pulled out her lightsaber. Before Canderous had any time to act, he was already on the ground, with a lightsaber barely an inch away from his throat. Cognus took a stern tone and asked "what did I tell you about your code of honor?" She withdrew her lightsaber, and walked away. Canderous then remembered his master mentioned Bane as being very much against honor. Canderous asked "so was Bane your master?"

Cognus partially turned and said to her apprentice "He was the Sith Master who founded our current order, about 60 years ago. He was a great philosopher, as well as being a master of the dark side. Unfortunately, his apprentice killed him, only a few miles from where we are staying."

Canderous was unsettled. He then said "How could his student do that? Why would anyone want to do such a dis-, Canderous stopped himself from saying "dishonor", why would anyone want to do such an impractical thing?" Cognus turned around to face her apprentice completely. She said "because that is the way of our order. An individual may die, but the Sith are eternal." Canderous timidly asked "so, did you kill your master, too?" Cognus smiled, but didn't answer. She dodged the question and said "Darth Bane founded our order. My master was Darth Zannah, and now it is us two. It is time I teach you the first and only reality of the sith." Cognus took a few steps towards Canderous, and said "there can only be two." Canderous asked "why only two? If we are going to fight the Jedi, won't it be better if we had more allies?"

Cognus walked back to her tent. She pulled out a text and handed it to Canderous. "This is a complete history of the Sith. Once you read it, you will understand why Bane did what he did. Our lineage must wait patiently for the precise time to strike." Canderous spent the better part of the day reading the text. He was intrigued to find out the Sith culture predated the Mandalorian one. He read about King Adas. He then went to slightly less ancient Sith like Naga Sadow and Ludo Kressh. The section which he found most interesting was the one about Vitiate's empire. He was amazed at how powerful the emperor was. He knew the force was powerful, but someone having power to _that _extent dumbfounded him. What was more puzzling was the text never mentioned what happened to him, only that his empire eventually fell apart due to sith infighting. He noticed that the Jedi were the eternal adversaries of sith throughout galactic history. The history after that was fragmented and incomplete, so he skipped that section. He realized virtually most of the day was spent reading this text. He decided to check in early and fell asleep. The next day, he awoke earlier than usual, and continued where he left off. He finally came across Darth Bane and the Brotherhood of Darkness. After reading for another few hours, he finally understood why Bane insisted on the new philosophy. His reading was abruptly ended when his master called him outside.

Cognus pulled out a cortosis blade, and handed Canderous his. Cognus then handed him an ancient object which projected a hologram. She said "this is a holocron. It holds the knowledge of an ancient force user. This is a holocron from the Second Emperor's Wrath." She handed him the holocron. "You will study the lightsaber forms while watching him. In time, the movements will become second nature, then we can spar." She then handed him a second holocron. She said "this one holds the teachings of Darth Nox, who was a contemporary of the Second Wrath. You will learn to better control your power by mastering the contents." Canderous read about these two sith. They were champions of the empire back in the day. Canderous also thought to himself that only Darth Jadus would've been a challenge for the two champions. The other Dark Councilors didn't have the raw ability that Jadus, the Wrath, and Nox shared. Cognus then continued "you will also spend an hour everyday mediating after watching the contents of the holocrons. When you have mastered them, come to me. I must leave this planet for a few months to take care of urgent business."

Canderous was surprised. It was at that moment that he realized he had an undeniable attraction to his master. He would miss her. He knew better than to voice his true feelings, as Cognus was a very by-the-book master. Did she feel something too, he wondered. He then thought to himself that "she can't possibly share my feelings. She is the master of the Sith, she doesn't think about such things."

Cognus then said something Canderous which surprised both of them. She said "this planet is mostly barren, but I feel confident you will survive while I am gone. Be safe." With that, she departed. Did his master just tell him to "be safe?" This was the closest thing he had gotten to a compliment in his training. Over the next few months, Canderous studied the holocrons. He cut down on his sleep, and tried to master everything the two had to teach. After a few weeks, he was already becoming adept at the Shii-Cho and Shien lightsaber forms. He memorized the sequences, and the movements began to flow naturally. From Nox, he learned how to use the force to unnaturally twist dark side energy to reenergize, and even heal himself. He also learned the basics of force lightning. There was a week where Canderous needed a break. All of this power took a toll on his body, and he took a break, reading and rereading the sith history. He had to come to terms with the fact that his master was training him to kill her someday. Canderous decided when that day comes, he will defeat her, but not kill her. He will tell her exactly how he felt, and repressing emotions, even love, is unacceptable.

The next several weeks went by without the young Sith even realizing what had happened. He learned what he could from the holocrons, and then just physically honed his body to get by on little energy. While both holocrons seemed unfinished and incomplete, Canderous knew he mastered enough of both of them to become a worth sith apprentice, and eventually, a master. His lessons from the Wrath not only taught him how to be an effective and deadly swordsmen, but also a being who could use his rage and anger to make himself stronger, and to withstand damage. This was in a way similar to what Darth Sion and had done centuries prior. He learned various sith rituals from Nox. Not only was he able to reenergize himself, he was also able to use the force to drain the life from his victims. He eventually incorporated both teachings to better himself as a warrior and sorcerer.

Late one afternoon, he saw a hooded figure in the distance. He knew instantly it was Cognus. He could feel the dark side concentrated in her direction. He had the urge to go to his master and thank her, but he now knew better. Cognus, was not willing to tolerate such behavior. The two locked eyes briefly, and Canderous went back to his training. He was in the mood to show off a little. The large tree that Cognus had lifted early in his training was now child's play. Canderous lifted it up, and placed it back it in its original location. To secure the tree that had been severed from his roots, he simultaneously lifted several large boulders to secure the base of the tree. After the tree was secure, he then used his force drain technique he learned from Nox to sap the life out of the tree. Cognus watched as the tree slowly but surely began to shrivel, the bark began to peel off, the branches became barren. The tree indeed looked like it was dying. Cognus then slowly approached her apprentice. Cognus stopped his technique and said "Master, I have mastered the holocrons. I am now ready to be a fully fledged sith."

Cognus paused for a moment. Canderous could feel a flurry of emotions coming from Cognus. Cognus indeed was conflicted. She was torn between her attraction towards her now much stronger apprentice, and her role as the master Sith. Furthermore, she had disturbing news. Canderous thought to himself that maybe the force was playing tricks on him. Sensing emotions was difficult enough. Discerning them accurately was even more challenging. Cognus decided to ignore this, and pulled out a pyramid-shaped holocron from her robe. She handed it to Canderous, who was surprised, but intrigued.

Mere moments after placing the tiny, yet powerful, Sith pyramid on the table and running the Dark Side through it like his master had shown him, Canderous cracked it open in slits. It fell apart into three triangle pieces with a mini holoprojector piece at the heart. Then, a blue light sprang a few inches from the small projector's lens. First creating a blurry static, then forming into a tall figure wearing black and brown robes, he had to curved lightsabers at his sides, and wore an archaic Mandalorian battle mask. "This...this can't be yo...your...no this is an image of Darth Revan! This guardian is wearing the exact same outfit as the once great Lord from the old republic, the Sith you said laid the foundation for Lord Bane's Rule of Two?" Canderous gazed into the projector, uncertain of what to expect.

"So this is the next generation of Bane's lineage? Are you a mand'o? A most intriguing choice. You do not know of me boy, but I know of you and your order. Your way twists the beliefs of the sith and makes the "real" sith order look no better than the power hungry dark jedi whom fled from Tython." My name is Darth Nexus the last "true" Lord of the sith. This means nothing to you I'm sure; clearly you know nothing of me...but maybe you know of Bane?" Darth Nexus was defiantly staring at Canderous, with its arms crossed before disappearing in a blur of static and reforming into an even taller man clad in brilliant golden armor. A long, regal looking cape going to his legs, large golden ridged shoulder plates, a massive mandalorian halberd made from the metal of his enemies destroyed ships in one hand, and a shining mask with a dark "T" visor in the middle. Canderous was blown away when the hologram changed.

"Y...you're Mandalore: The Unbreakable, one of the most ruthless warriors in all of my people, or I should say, Mandalorian history. The man, whom like Madalore: The Great before him almost brought the Republic and the Jedi to their knees with just a hand full of ships and loyal soldiers. This is the spitting image of the man whom my uncle...whom Mandalore said almost destroyed the whole galaxy along with his people. What possible connection could he have to the Sith I just don't understand? Canderous was truly dumbfounded by the perfect holo creation of a man whom is still both hated and respected among his own people he almost led to extinction in his war. In a way, it reminded him of Revan.

I brought the Republic into turmoil and dismay and I made your precious Lord Bane feel fear for his pathetic life although no one in your order including him would ever admit it. I am a man who personified everything a true Mand'o should be: ruthless, cunning, smart, powerful, and merciless...Yet this is only a mask I wore to achieve my goals. I used clans to build my armies, to fuel my war, to find my planets, and to bring me my followers from those worlds. I am Mandalore: The Unbreakable, I am Darth Nexus the Last Lord of the True Sith, and I am Var Shan descendant of Darth Revan and Bastila Shan; two of the most powerful force users who have or will ever have lived...I AM SITH!" The hologram proclaimed while shifting back and forth from his two appearance of the warrior, and the sith before stopping as Darth Nexus removing its ancestors mask and looking straight up at Canderous with its yellow tainted red eyes.

Canderous had to take a step back and process everything. Nexus was a hero and villain to his former people. But in reality, he was actually a masterminding sith lord. The whole idea of this inspired him, it was almost too good to be true. However if it was true it would cast away any kind of second thoughts Canderous might have for leaving his people despite them casting him out. If they had claimed to be such great warriors then how could they including his uncle, the current Mandalore, who fought in Nexus's war not realize that they were being used like blind fools. As that thought set in Canderous said without realizing it: "If you are this great and powerful being steadfast in your belief for the order, why has lord Bane tried to erase you from history Darth Nexus?"

"So you finally see the whole forest." Nexus folded his arms again and spoke again. "I stand for the beliefs of the old order, for the ways of my late and great master Lord Kaan. I stand for the "Rule of the strong", over the lies that are your masters' Rule of Two. The sith must always be a legion, we must always be a force that strikes fear into even the strongest of opponents. The Jedi must always fear us, now, and always." The Rule of Two only make us weak, it turns us from gods into cowards too afraid to step into the light and face their enemies. It dilutes the very Dark Side itself. I fought Lord Bane, and we clashed our different ideals with each other. I lost, but only because the coward used a jedi, Voren Kar to exhaust me. To truly answer your question, Darth Bane erased me and gave me the title "Pretend Lord of The Sith" because he fears what my teaching could mean for younglings like you. He was afraid that I'd show all of you the true nature dark side. My teachings could lead to the orders ultimate victory with the Rule of The Strong and a new Brotherhood of The Sith." Nexus's hologram said to Canderous after putting back on its mask.

"But Lord Nexus the Rule of The Strong is flawed. Yes, the sith as a legion did pose a threat to the Republic, but it was too unstable. You talk about how hiding in the dark makes us weak, how it dilutes our power, but the Brotherhood fell because Bane used its own weakness against it. Your master Kaan's "Rule of the Strong" made it so anyone strong enough to topple the leader could become the head of the order because they earned it. I used to believe in honor. I can see it very much present in your idea, but honor is...something my master is making clear to me that the sith do not have. While I am finally realizing that, I do agree that your Rule of Two was what Bane called a "twisted version of the jedi order." Canderous said to Nexus's hologram while remembering everything he'd learned about Darth Bane.

"Honor is a word that holds no meaning to me or the sith. I clearly was not straight forward, boy. That was what I had to believe in but my ultimate goal was the creation of new Sith. I tried to create a sith order that was like Banes' but instead of two it was going to be one the sith order its self as legion, with the strongest of the sith in their rightful place as master. The Brotherhood was flawed, my master was not perfect, but his concept for the Sith was what lead me to mine my "Rule of One", if you will. This was what Bane was truly afraid of, but also why he keeps this vessel of my knowledge...I am done talking to you boy, I can see it already my teachings are falling on deaf ears. Your mind is closed and unworthy...unlike the last one whom embraced my teachings." Darth Nexus waved his small hand and forcing the holocron to close, angering Canderous.

Canderous was curious as to what Nexus meant by "other." He looked up at Cognus and she could tell he was looking for the answer.

Cognus sat down on a fallen log and said "That other, was my first apprentice, Darth Millenial. He abandoned the order some time ago to start his own order. He hadn't even fully completed his training, yet he was foolish enough to start an order in which every follower was doomed to weakness."

Canderous stood up. He was eager to test his new abilities, which were indeed formidable. He then boldly proclaimed: "Master, I will eliminate Millenial and his followers. He will experience what the dark side can _really _do." Cognus stood up as well and chuckled. "From this day forward, you are no longer Canderous, a disgraced Mandalorian. You are Darth Dedecus, Lord of the Sith. Go, and leave no survivors."

During Cognus' absence, Dedecus noticed a ship graveyard. Some of them were still operational. He immediately headed for that direction. He actually knew how to repair ships. Dedecus worked well into the night to finish. The final product was a ship virtually assembled from old parts. A small fighter pilot was exactly what he needed. He found spare fuel canisters, and even a container of spare parts, should he have need.

Dedecus finally realized that the dark side was his freedom. He was no longer enslaved by the Mandalorian ideals he grew up with. He was free, and more powerful than he ever could have been as Mandalorian. Dedecus knew Millenial and his followers would be found on only one of three planets: Korriban, Lehon, or Dromund Kaas. This was where the ancient sith were revered. If Millenial was so devoted to the old cause, he would undoubtedly settle on one of these planets. Dedecus thought about where to look first. Korriban had been abandoned too many times. Lehon was also out of the question. The little life that remained there would easily give away his location by any strong force sensitive looking for him. Plus, Bane had visited both of these worlds. Dromund Kaas was the capital of the old empire. Its vast jungle landscape made it perfect for hidden training. Dedecus decided to head to Dromund Kaas. Fortunately for him, the ancient sith texts made numerous references to the location of Dromund Kaas. He started the engine, and took off, exiting the planet's atmosphere.


	4. Chapter II- The False Heir

Dedecus left Ambria and set a course for Dromund Kaas. He realized that during the discussion with his master about "Millenial the heretic", Dedecus didn't know what he looked like. This was no problem, because he would be able to tell which one of his future victims is the master. He recalled his previous life as a Mandalorian, and realized that the entire Mandalorian order grew weak. It was a shadow of its former self. After Vitiate's empire fell, the Sith order was also chaotic and disorganized. They lost direction and purpose. His uncle was very similar to Kaan. He thought he gave new meaning to what it meant to be a Mandalorian, but it was all a big lie. Kaan didn't understand the sith either. Dedecus remembered the disgrace he suffered. He vowed to get revenge on his uncle.

Dedecus realized he gravely underestimated the fuel it would take to get to Dromund Kaas. Upon looking at his map, he realized the planet is much farther away than he initially believed. He also had no intention of spending "forever" inside of a small ship with only his thoughts for company. He realized he was not too far away from Coruscant, and decided to land there, even with the jedi temple so close. He began his descent into the planet atmosphere, and soon enough was at the spaceport. He heard a voice from outside the cockpit. "Welcome to Coruscant's main spaceport, please state your business." Dedecus replied "my ship is low on fuel, and I need a few supplies." There was no response from the automated system. He landed in a near-empty hangar bay. He slowly exited the ship. It was too quiet. Even without force sensitivity, anyone could sense something was off. Dedecus clutched his lightsaber hilt with one hand as a door to the hangar bay opened.

Three large commandos and a tall Togruta male wearing a brown robe approached Dedecus. The alien said "welcome to Coruscant, I'm investigating suspicious lower gang activity. A lot of spice has been smuggled in and out of spaceports." Dedecus, who was wearing casual attire, was highly nervous. He knew his master would immediately excommunicate him if he revealed himself to the jedi. It would be a terrible situation not only for him, but for the entire Sith order. Luckily, the jedi didn't notice the lightsaber hilt bulging out from underneath Dedecus' jacket. Dedecus, crushing his fear finally spoke. "Please, feel free master jedi to investigate my ship. It's nothing special. I need to head to a restroom however, so if you'll excuse me." He walked past the jedi and two of the commandos. The third one grabbed his shoulder. Dedecus was ready to demolish him, but he decided to see what the commando wanted. The bulky suit of armor was intimidating, even to him. "No one leaves the hangar without first being cleared." Dedecus replied "I come and go anywhere I want, when I want." The Commando took the butt of his rifle and prepared to strike Dedecus. Dedecus grabbed the rifle with his hand, and summoned the force to grant him more physical strength. This was a variation of the teachings he learned from the Emperor's Wrath. The Jedi drew out his blue lightsaber. "HALT!" Both Dedecus and the commando stopped for a brief moment. The Jedi approached Dedecus and asked "how were you able to stop the rifle so quickly? I see your hand prints on the barrel, but I've seen men twice your size who can't do that." Dedecus paused and said "Sometimes, I don't know my own strength." The Togruta then said "I sense the force is very strong with you. I wish I could've taken you to the Jedi temple to be trained, but the aura of the dark side surrounds you. No good can come of training you." Dedecus realized there was no one around but the three commandos and the Jedi. The hangar door was closed, and there were only a few security cameras. Dedecus closed his eyes and channeled dark size energy. First, he very quietly titled the security cameras so the pointed to the wall. The Togruta was taken aback. "What is this, how can you-" he was stopped by a powerful force wave which knocked Dedecus' adversaries back several meters. Dedecus drew his red lightsaber and said "I've been looking forward to making your acquaintance, master Jedi." Dedecus bowed to the Togruta. The commandos began to fire, but Dedecus was more than prepared. He learned several lightsaber forms. While he was a master at Shien, he was proficient in Shii-Cho and Soresu as well. He entered a Soresu stance to deflect the blaster fire. Just then, one of the commandos felt a grip around his neck. He was being slowly lifted up and suffocated. The Togruta acted quickly, he unleashed his own force wave, which was even stronger than the young sith's. Dedecus was slammed against the wall of the hangar bay, and the commando was released. Dedecus then fueled his body with rage. With one impressive jump, he leaped 10 feet forward, and decapitated one commando. The two others were shocked and hesitated. Dedecus already knew what to do. He grabbed one commando and impaled him through the back, and used him as a shield to deflect blaster fire from the last one. The Togruta Jedi then put a glowing blue force barrier around himself. The barrier was a sphere created from pure force energy. Dedecus knew the Jedi was getting serious. He tried to use his lightning to shock the barrier, but it had no effect. The last commando stopped firing briefly. He put on his breath mask, and said "take cover master Jedi, I'll finish this." Dedecus dropped the lifeless corpse and positioned himself in a defensive stance. The commando threw a small grenade, which released a gas upon hitting the ground. Dedecus used his force speed to run in the other direction. The Jedi made a run for the hangar door.

At this moment, Dedecus realized he needed to stop the jedi. He couldn't risk him going to the order and telling them that the sith still exist. The commando was still a major obstacle. Dedecus lifted the commando with the force again, and threw him on top of the Jedi. He did another force leap, and skewered both of them with his lightsaber. He could feel the life go out of both of his victims. Unfortunately, the gas had already spread in the room, and Dedecus inhaled some. He knew he didn't have long, and if he passed out or died, the sith order would be doomed. Even mastery of the force was not enough to neutralize the effects of this unknown gas. He decided his best option was to torch the entire hangar. He noticed the gasoline canisters near the hangar door. _Everything_ had to burn here by fire. He went to the opposite end of the hangar bay. Using the force, he lifted a rifle off of one of the dead commandos, and brought it to his hands. He shot the barrels, and a loud explosion was set off. His ship was immediately engulfed in flames. It took only a few seconds for the fire to reach what was left of the ship's fuel and cause a second loud explosion. Dedecus using the force once more, threw the barrels all over the hangar bay, so the fire would spread. He sat for a minute or so, noticing the gas starting to have an effect on his sight. The entire hangar bay was engulfed, and the bodies were burning. He took his lightsaber, and made a square-shaped incision in the wall. He kicked the heated metal forward, and his ticket to the outside was revealed. He quickly ran outside to a large corridor, not directly connected to the hangar bay.

The effects of the gas were accelerating. He kept it at bay with his power, but his defenses were fading. Seeing no way to get an antidote, and the effects accelerating, he took his lightsaber, and quickly removed the red crystal from the hilt. He hid the hilt inside a cargo container, and kept the red crystal in his pocket. This way, whoever found him, would think he was just a common merchant who barely survived an explosion.

No sooner than a few minutes passed before the raging inferno in the hangar drew the attention of more republic forces. Within moments, the bay became surrounded by two drop ships which released troopers to put out the fire and search for the cause, and any survivors. It didn't take long for Dedecus's unconscious body to be found by one of the squads of troopers. "Sir I've found one of the survivors, here, he's passed out I think from inhalation from the fire." A trooper clad in standard issue republic snow white armor approached the body. After pulling Dedecus away from where he had collapsed, he placed an oxygen mask on him, and took him to a med bay.

"Does he have some kind of identification papers on him?" A trooper in a red-armored vest asked one of the squad. The Republic Military ranks were often determined by color. The white armor was usually for the standard soldier. Blue or green was often that of medics. Red and Orange were used for the high ranking veterans. The colors had been changed a dozen times. The designations can be changed at any time with a simple order by the Supreme Chancellor.

"No, I don't know sir", said one of the standard troopers. "I found him just over there just outside of a large corridor tunnel. If I had to guess, the smoke from the fire must have flooded that place and he passed out right after running out." The trooper said to his commanding officer while pointing back at the tunnel he'd dragged Dedecus from. Another several squads were concentrating on putting out the fire, and looking for survivors, and of course, the cause of the explosion.

"That is a most interesting assumption trooper, if it's true, and he lives, that would make him a key witness. We need to get him awake again as soon as possible." A wise, matured voice said from behind the trooper. As the trooper turned around, he was shocked at who arrived at the scence.

"Master Kar! What are you doing here? If I had known one of the council members was in the area I'd have made preparations for your arrival, sir." The commander said to jedi high council member and hero of the last mandalorian war years ago; Jedi master Voren Kar. The trooper in red bowed to show him respect and made a non-verbal gesture with his hand so the other troopers did as well. "A simple act of arson like this or the accident this hangar fire isn't a concern for a jedi council member."

"Commander there is no need to be so formal and defensive around this old man! I'm not here to steal this investigation or interfere with you and your men. I was just in the area when I saw the smoke and came to see if one of my former students whom the order assigned here was alright." Master Voren said this with a cheerful smile and then disappeared when the other members of the commanders' squad arrived with the casualty report of the hangar and he saw his former padawan's name on it.

"I'm sorry sir, the fire did too much damage to the bodies to correctly determine the cause of death. My medics have told me the explosion that caused the fire was most likely a gas leak." Your padawan is over there with the other dead troopers...should I have the body sent to the temple, sir?" The commander said to Master Voren with regret in his voice. Master Voren just ignored him walked over to the piled body bags gathered by the commanders' men. Unzipping the bag with his former student inside, and placing his hand on his face, Kar said: "You were one of the order's finest jedi." Master Kar closed his eyes and whispered "there is no death, only the force." After saying his prayer closing his friends still open eyes Voren watched as his body was zipped back up. "Commander, I shall take the survivor to the temple for questioning, no doubt he has been through a lot." The commander simply nodded his head, and moved to check on the other squads.

As Dedecus slept, darkness was the only thing in his mind. There were too many voices echoing, but then one of them manifested itself and laughed at him. "You call yourself sith, but you allowed a non force user to get the better of you with a simple maneuver! You lack the ability to be a true Sith. Let this be a lesson to you, boy. Your masters' way is wrong." The voice manifested as a phantom image of Darth Nexus who then whipped out his lightsaber. With that, Dedecus awoke from his nightmare.

Dedicus took a long look around. He was in some kind of med bay or hospital wing of a massive building. There was a strange, unfamiliar feeling. He could feel thousands of minds all very strong in the force. A wave of panic swept over him. He felt a strong presence of the light side of the force all around him. He did everything he could to avoid entering in the hall of the jedi temple, but it was all for nothing.

A tall jedi, who was clearly a master, given his advanced age, and aura of power around him, approached Dedecus. He spoke "are you all right, young one? You were in an explosion, you barely survived." Dedecus tried to compose himself. The master radiated compassion and peace, yet also strength. Dedecus said "um, yes, master jedi. What's going on?" The Jedi answered "It's best not to overdo it. When you feel better, I'd like to have a word with you, regarding the explosion." Dedecus, was nervous. But he knew what he had to do. His master taught him to feed on his fear to make him stronger. He also knew the fundamental rule of becoming a true sith. Sith do not fear, period. Dedecus smiled and said "yes master, give me a few hours, and I'll report to the temple."

The next few hours, Dedecus meditated on the dark side of the force, gathering strength. He knew his ultimate goal was to get to Dromund Kaas. He was no longer in a prison, he could literally just walk out the door, but he needed to be clever. He decided to slowly creep out of bed. He changed into his regular clothes, and tip-toed away from the room he was staying in. He walked down a long corridor, which seemed to be the exit to the temple. He took a look at all of the jedi. There were dozens, if not hundreds, in this corridor alone. How would the Sith ever topple so many enemies? Dedecus realized it was unlikely that he, or even his future apprentice, would see the downfall of the jedi order. Dedecus then spotted a woman, who looked to be in her later thirties. She had long, dark hair, was about 6' tall, and was wearing a Jedi Master's robe. She was working with a young Nautolan padawan on lightsaber technique. By the looks of it, the padawan was learning intermediate Shii-Cho sequences. Dedecus, taking a huge risk, walked over there and said "You should raise your elbows a bit more, the Shii-Cho form is a balanced one. It strives to be equal in offense and defense." The woman said "very good, you clearly are an up and coming Jedi Knight. I've been trying to teach him Shii-Cho, he isn't suited for Shien or Soresu, so I thought maybe something in between was best." Dedecus was stunned. This woman matched exactly the description of his mother, but he just couldn't believe it.

He couldn't leave the temple without knowing, even though Cognus would've have chastised him for it. He asked her "can we spar, master Jedi, I want to get ready for my upcoming trials." The woman looked at him and said "I think I may be too much of a challenge for you. You should look for another padawan." Dedecus walked away, and looked for a piece of paper and a pen. He knew if he showcased his immense power, the jedi would be watching him. Showing off was not permitted. The Sith MUST hide in the shadows. He was shocked that the woman couldn't tell he was a sith. He wrote down a letter on a piece of paper. He looked over his shoulder, and found the Nautolan was alone, clumsily trying to master intermediate Shii-Cho movements. Dedecus realized this is why the sith will win. The Jedi train ineffective warriors who have little talent for blade combat. He sensed that the Nautolan was barely force sensitive, nothing to be impressed about. But the Jedi were willing to train him, to grand him the title of _master_ one day. Dedecus realized this lax attitude over time would be the downfall of the Jedi. He walked over to the Nautolan and said "here, give this to your master." The Nautolan replied "you know I'm actually a very strong Jedi. I can lift things with the force, and I took down a nexu the other day." Everything in Dedecus' body screamed to destroy the padawan. His abilities were amateurish at best. Instead he grabbed the padawan by his robe and said "it is VERY IMPORTANT you give this to your master." The padawan shoved him off and said "fine, just get off me! You are lucky I don't just pummel you right now." Dedecus, growing more impatient asked "what is your master's name, I'd rather give it to her myself." The Nautolan exclaimed "how do you NOT know master Balana, she is famous you know." He then whispered "The masters don't let the other padawans know this, but she had a kid once." Dedecus calmly said "go on." The Nautolan said "yea, I think the kid was given to some Mandalorian tribe, but no one really knows."

Dedecus then said "Ok, give this to master Balana. Oh, and can I borrow a star fighter from the hangar." The Nautolan looked at him and folded his arms "oh, you sneak out in those sometimes too?" Dedecus said "yea, but don't tell the masters." "My name is Devarus by the way." Dedecus smiled and shook his hand. "A pleasure to meet you, but I really must be on my way." Dedecus gave Devarus the note, and jumped into a nearby star fighter. He noticed it was completely fueled, had a better navicomputer than his old junk jet he pieced together, and had a larger engine. He opened the hangar doors with a remote imbedded in the ship, and flew out.

Meanwhile, on Dromund Kaas, Darth Millenial was visibly disturbed. It had been a long time since he sensed doom from elsewhere in the galaxy. His tribe, who were known as the "Prophets of the Dark Side", numbered several dozen now. He had escaped the wrath of his old master, Darth Cognus, and lived a relatively simple life. A few strong apprentices had arisen. His two best were Trephess, who was a Nikto sith blademaster, and another, Kelnara, a Twi'lek, who was very adept at force lighting techniques.

Millenial summoned them to his throne, deep in the jungle. "Trephess, Kelnara, my old master has found us." Trephess and Kelnara, raised their heads and were visibly disturbed. Kelnara timidly asked "you mean, _Darth_ Cognus?" Trephess, who was also in a mild state of panic asked "why now, why leave us alone for so long?" Millenial stood up, and folded his hands behind his back. The three-eyed mutant wore a dark blue robe, which hid his third-eye. He calmly replied "It's not her, it's her new apprentice."

Millenial was known for his unique precognitive abilities. Very few force-sensitives could accurately get glimpses of the future. Fewer still were those like Millenial, who believed he was ordained by the dark side to undermine the ruling Banite Sith order, and eventually establish a new empire. Millenial continued speaking "If he was able to survive Cognus' teachings to become _this _powerful, he has indeed become a great threat." Trephess asked "what should we do master, we have to escape somehow."

Millenial lightly chuckled. Correction my apprentice: "_I _will escape, you and Kelnara will face this new Sith. Trephess will pose as me, and Kelnara as his apprentice." Trephess became filled with rage. He couldn't understand why his master would betray them like this. Surely, if three of them faced Cognus' apprentice, then they could win. Millenial, sensing his apprentice's growing rage, lifted him up and began choking him. He then spoke "you took an oath to serve me, and if you don't do exactly as I say, I will crush your neck and dance on your corpse." Trephess was gasping for air as Kelnara watched, helplessly. Millenial then tightened his grip and asked "Do I make myself clear, Trephess?" Millenial released the Nikto, who got back up and answered "yes master, I'll take a few of the lesser acolytes as well so it looks like our entire order is present." Millenial then took off his dark robe, and put it on Trephess. He then said "we need you to look like me as much as possible, so I will paint a false third eye on your forehead." Kelnara then finally found the courage to say something. "I'll go round up the acolytes master, tell them we are going to face a strong opponent."

Hours past, and Kelnara gathered up exactly a dozen acolytes of various skill levels. Some still hadn't graduated from the training blades, others had proficient telekinetic force techniques. Darth Millenial said "I will take the other remaining acolytes and flee to Asation, we will be safe there for a few years." Trephess was unnerved, and Kelnara was so nervous, her forehead tentacles were visibly shaking. Millenial said "you can defeat him. Remember your training. In fact, I expect you to bring me his head. If you succeed, we will then plan an attack on the sith master herself."

Millenial disappeared into the jungle with his followers. Kelnara then said to Trephess "I propose you and I be the last line of defense, let the acolytes play with him, and we will fight him if needed." Trephess nodded his head and said "this way, it will look like our order was caught off guard. I like the plan." Kelnara touched her forehead. She looked at Trephess and said "He is already here."

Dedecus had just landed his ship on the jungle world. He could see the old imperial Citadel in ruins on the distant horizon. After flying out of the hangar, he managed to covertly retrieve his lightsaber, and made a few upgrades to the hilt. As he started to explore the world, he heard grunts and roars of different jungle beasts. He walked carefully through the bushes. He gripped his lightsaber on his belt, in the event of a surprise attack. Eventually after several hours of walking, he stumbled across a hill with signs of civilization. His intuition _was _correct. There were people living here, and they were most likely sith, given the various artifacts radiating dark side energy.

Meanwhile, off in the distance, Trephess saw a hooded figure down in the valley. He then whispered to a group of acolytes and said "go and ambush him. Bring him to me." Like a group of hunting vorn tigers, they disappeared into the dense flora, and walked towards Dedecus. Dedecus paused, sensing several life forms approaching. He surrounded himself with an electric sphere, preparing to intercept any attack. Just then, an acolyte jumped out of the bush, training blade drawn. Dedecus sidestepped the attack, and fired an arc of lighting, temporarily stunning the acolyte. He quickly impaled the acolyte. Just as he finished retracting his lightsaber, three more appeared and began charging him. He channeled dark side energy, and concentrated it in his body. He unleashed the miniature explosion, which radiated outward, pushing his attackers back. He entered the Shii-Cho form, as it was appropriate against several enemies. He made a quick, yet powerful vertical slash, which was just barely blocked by a training blade. Dedecus then kicked the acolyte in the stomach, knocking him to the ground. Before he had a chance to finish, he was force pushed onto the ground. He immediately leaped up in the air and positioned himself in front of the three. These acolytes were annoying in a group. They were unskilled, like jedi padawans, but not completely incapable of defending themselves. Dedecus sent out a sonic wave of energy, stunning the three. The force scream technique was one of the Wrath's favorites. He then threw his lightsaber like a boomerang at the closest acolyte. Still recovering from the force scream, the acolyte couldn't parry the lightsaber. The blade cut his arm clear off at the shoulder, and grazed his side. The lightsaber returned to Dedecus, who was displeased with his inaccuracy. The acolyte screamed in pain. Then Dedecus ran towards the other two acolytes, and faked a thrust maneuver. He then ducked, spun his lightsaber around, and severed the legs of both acolytes with one deadly sweep. He then impaled them both in rapid succession. The third acolyte, who was in extreme pain didn't attempt to put up a fight. Dedecus grabbed him up his throat and asked "where is Darth Millenial?" The acolyte was breathing heavily, and then spit in Dedecus' face. Dedecus, with his left hand, wiped it off. He then slammed the acolyte to the ground and said "I was going to put you out of my misery, but I've decided to let you suffer." With that, he stormed off. Trephess was visibly shocked at how quickly Dedecus decimated the students. He then said "ok, everyone but Kelnara, go and finish him off!"

Once again, the other Prophets stealthily approached Dedecus. This time, Dedecus got out of the dense jungle, and saw a hooded figure and a Twi'lek. He projected his voice, almost to the point of yelling " Darth Millenial, you forgot the first and only reality of the sith." Dedecus stepped out into the open. "You will pay for your heresy." He then charged towards Trephess, but was interrupted when 9 other Sith appeared. They all drew out their lightsabers. Trephess said "you are indeed strong, but you are a fool if you think you can defeat the strongest of my order." Dedecus then looked around and calmly replied "as you wish."

One Prophet, wielding a saberstaff, lunged towards Dedecus, who simply sidestepped. He switched to the Shien form, which was risky, given how many opponents there were. Trephess watched as a flurry of lightsaber movements were made. Dedecus was unimpressed by the chaotic frenzy of red spinning through the air like a swarm of bees. He blocked the first few strikes with ease, but he quickly realized he was overwhelmed. These students were proficient, and there was no way to block _that _many blades. Dedecus then sent out another shockwave, pushing all nine of his aggressors back. He raised his left hand, and summoned a lighting tornado, which engulfed four of his enemies. The remaining five, all wielding single lightsabers, went after him. The first attack was an overhead slash, Dedecus lunged forward and impaled the enemy. Then, another Prophet flipped in the air and almost impaled Dedecus from above. He jumped backward, only to be attacked by two more enemies behind him. Dedecus leaped in the air, and then pummeled the ground, stunning his enemies briefly. The ones behind him preferred a more one-handed approach. Dedecus realized they must be Makashi specialists. He hadn't studied the form in depth, but knew they were often weak against force powers. He shot out a forked blast of lightning, which charred both of them at such close range. Dedecus then lifted them up telekentically, and threw them on top of the group trapped in the tornado, which was decreasing in intensity. His acrobat adversary then continued to employ Ataru tactics. Dedecus saw that she was unsafe in her approach, but was unable to seize an opening. He once again resorted to force powers. He force pushed his opponent to the ground, and then quickly followed up with a lightsaber throw, fatally slashing the Prophet through the stomach.

Trephess and Kelnara were shocked. They had no idea their opponent was so powerful. Trephess and Kelnara looked at each other and nodded. They worked well as a team, and understood each others' verbal cues. They silently entered the fight. Dedecus then did something which surprised everyone. He picked up a lightsaber off of one of the corposes and ignited it. He now had six powerful sith to contend with. Luckily for him, he was adept at using two lightsabers, though he had better technique with one. Dedecus placed the lightsaber in his left hand horizontally outward, and the one in his right hand touched the ground. He then made a charge toward Trephess. One of the Prophets attempted to sever his legs as he ran, but he jumped in the air, tucked his body in, and landed in a crouched position. He then spun his two blades around in a chaotic manner, one of them heading towards the feet of his most recent attacker, the other for his head. His enemy blocked the low strike, only to have his neck slashed by the high attack. Dedecus then was almost stabbed by Kelnara, but narrowly sidestepped. He then began dancing in circles around Kelnaras' saberstaff. Dedecus' movements were graceful, but deadly. These were all techniques honed from the best swordsmen of the old empire. Dedecus then sent out another forked lighting attack, which was meant to confuse the group, rather than eliminate them. Two of the prophets were caught off guard and were stunned.

As Dedecus continued to effectively block everyone's attack, Trephess noticed that his enemy's stamina was fading. Even with advanced training, the body would eventually succumb to fatigue. Trephess took his lightsaber, and managed to cut Dedecus' sholder. Dedecus, realizing the pain, used his force speed technique to run out of the fight temporarily. He then began to channel dark side energy again. A purple aura surrounded him. Trephess, Kelsara, and the remaining prophets were cautious, as they were unfamiliar with the technique. Trephess, noticed that the wound on Dedecus' shoulder was healing. In fact, it shrunk to a fraction of its size. Trephess yelled out "IT'S JUST A HEALING TECHNIQUE!"

The others approached him. Dedecus then surprised them all, he then sent out a dark red aura, which forked out, and touched everyone. Trephess, Kelnara, and the rest started to feel fatigued. Dedecus then said "this is my force drain technique. I essentially sap the vitality out of my enemies, and use it to boost my stamina." Kelnara and Trephess were unable to move. Dedecus then lifted all of his enemies up and said "this is where you all die."

The force drain started to have a significant effect. The resistance became less strong, and his opponents quickly fell to the ground. The fight was decided. Dedecus, noticing a nearby tree lifted it up out of the ground, and crushed all of his enemies, except for Trephess, who only had his legs crushed. As Trephess let out a blood-curdling scream, he yelled to Dedecus "please, PLEASE don't kill me." Dedecus walked towards who he thought was the leader of the Prophets. He thought about his old Mandalorian code, which would forbid killing enemies who are defeated. He chuckled, and said to Trephess "Beg for mercy, I may grant it." Trephess, who as still in excruciating pain answered "PLEASE, I DON'T want to die like this!" Dedecus paused and pulled the hood over his head. He pulled away his lightsabers and said "Mercy is for heretics." He then stuck out his right hand and began to choke his enemy. He could feel the life going out of Trephess, who tried to grab his throat in a vain attempt to save himself. Trephess lost consciousness. Dedecus underestimated how much damage was already done.

Realizing that his victory over Millenial was complete, and that his power was indeed incredible, he decided it would soon be time to challenge his own master. He never liked her harsh, dogmatic adherence to Bane. Dedecus agreed with the Rule of Two, but he disdained the idea of the apprentice killing the master as some misguided form of self-sacrifice to the sith cause. He knew he would have to defeat his master without killing her, and show her his way is better.

Dedecus walked back to his ship. He was physically exhausted, even with all of his techniques, his body was drained of energy. He decided to head back to Ambria, to tell his master of his accomplishments, and begin planning her downfall.


	5. Chapter 3- A Sith forever and always

Time passed all too quickly. Two years came and went in the blink of the eye. After Darth Cognus sensed her old apprentice, Darth Millenial, from across the galaxy, she scolded him, and banished him from their camp on Ambria. Dedecus had bought a tiny building on Hutta, where he could fly under the radar. Young Dedecus had become far stronger in the force then he'd ever been two years ago. He knew that the day when he must challenge his master Cognus to a duel for the title of Sith master was fast approaching, and he'd decided that when it did he would teach his master a new way. He'd show his master that the cycle of student killing master needed to end the order could become stronger with unity, which he will show her by sparing her life when the time comes.

Dedecus was deep in thought and said to himself "...But is being honorable and showing master this new way for the order my only reason for wanting not to kill her? She is cruel and ruthless...but at the same time she shines brighter than any star in the galaxy. I wish to show her I can care the mantle of the Sith and her I'm ready to lead us both into a new order. I...I think...no I know this feeling is a longing for her the feeling called love. This cannot be love." Canderous remembered how the Sith, like the Jedi, must be wary of romantic attachments. They weaken the resolve. Dedecus opened his eyes, stood back on his feet, and started walking out of his mediation room. He'd just returned from another venture to find more sith relics powerful in darkside energy. The day earlier he wanted to clear his thoughts as he prepared himself for the confrontation with his master. Meditation had not calmed him down however. Despite the immense power and resolve Dedecus wielded, Cognus was the _master. _Even in his youth, Dedecus had never been afraid of overwhelming challenges. His training as a Sith taught him to act more prudently, as he had to always keep Bane's plan in mind.

"Feeling doubt are we, youngling? How pathetic, I shall say it again, HOW DARE YOU CALL YOURSELF SITH?" The all too familiar voice of Darth Nexus holocrons' guardian said from within Dedecus' relic room. After Dedicus had killed the FALSE Prophets of the Dark Side he realized he truly had great potential. Lord Bane had never once thought to use Nexus holocron for the wealth of information it truly had. This was most likely from Bane's hate of Nexus. But Dedecus saw past this. he knew that Nexus had to have found countless sith artifacts vastly powerful in the dark side. No doubt, across the galaxy and since Bane erased all traces of him from the orders history, the only one who possibly know where they all were would be his holocron.

"I am more sith then you ever could hope to be." Once again, Darth Nexus taunted Dedecus. Dedecus decided he has had enough of the taunting. He yelled "SHUT UP NEXUS, if you don't, I shall destroy your holo matrix and finish Lord Bane's mission to erase you from history." Dedecus started at the small blue phantom of Darth Nexus as he walked through his relic room. The room was not massive but in no way small and after two years of extracting old sith relic locations from the holocron. Dedecus was now a master collector, with sith artifacts from wall to wall. Nexus had been a gateway through his knowledge, he'd been able to find clues to other relics ancient sith and dark jedi scrolls, masks drenched in darkside auras, and ancient pre lightsaber war blades. His latest addition was his prize he'd ripped away from a cult of unworthy dark side worshippers. This was by far his strongest relic, it empowered Dedecus in the force more than any other of his relics.

"You can't get any more of secrets young one." This "pretender" made sure his truly worthy secrets were "his" and only his alone. "You will have to make do with your latest victory prize", Nexus continued: "ah, the irony. This is truly the best of your finds and you cannot use it properly. Your lack of double blade training is obvious. the blade of Exar Kun is wasted on you." The guardian said to Dedecus again while laughing at the hilarity about not being able to use such a deadly weapon. Dedecus telekinetically shut off the holocron, having listened of enough of Nexus.

"I might not be able to use this blade to the fullest, but I swear once I become Dark Lord of the sith, I shall train an apprentice. you shall be worthy of it. Until that day it shall remain in my collection."

Dedecus over the last few years had been systematically building a power base. He had taken over a group of warlords in a few distant planets in the outer rim. He had traveled extensively in the last few years, even learning several alien languages. The warlords caused themselves the "Rising Tide." They were ruthless, but Dedecus saw this as a way to harm the Republic. If not the republic, he could call upon his gang to eliminate other adversaries. This was exactly what Bane had in mind, pitting enemies against each other until the Sith were ready to take over. The problem was, Cognus also had a power base. She had met a fallen Jedi in the city ruins on the planet Taris. The two of them established a nekghoul colony. The nekghouls were sentient monstrosities. They stood on two legs, but they only had one eye, horns protruding from their heads, and an affinity for the force. Dedecus has taken a few of his elite assassins, and slaughtered the fallen Jedi and her Nekghouls. This happened just a few weeks ago. Cognus' retribution was swift. Despite flying under the radar, Cognus was able to track down over half of Dedecus' assassins, and single handedly eliminate them all. Dedecus knew his master was coming for him. He sent one of his assassins as a messenger to deliver a holorecording to Cognus, who was on Corellia, destroying Dedecus' power base.

Cognus held the glowing pyramid in her hand, and forced it open with the Force. "Behold Cognus, you are now looking at the new master. Your crusade against my assassins is pointless, everyone knows I am the one calling the shots now." Cognus could barely contain her rage. The recording continued: "If you want to attempt to dethrone the new master, come to Quesh, to the old mining facility. It's time we end this." With that, the holorecording closed.

Meanwhile on Quesh, Dedecus had already acclimated to the atmosphere. The planets toxicity was very high, but it was more lethal during the old empire. He took a few inoculation shots just be to safe however. He was standing on top of an old building, which looked like it was about to collapse. He sat there, meditating on the dark side, preparing himself for the final confrontation. He knew the new order was coming soon.

Eventually when Cognus landed, she knew immediately were to find her old apprentice. His dark side aura stuck out like a sore thumb. She just followed the trail. Eventually, Cognus jumped up on the building to where Dedecus was meditating. Dedecus stood up, looking at Cognus, who was wearing her usual black robe. Her hood covered most of her face, except for one, gleaming orange eye. He said to her "You know I had feelings for you at one point. I learned that love can be a powerful motivator. Unfortunately, you don't see it that way. It was your dogmatic and overaggressive personality that led to your undoing Cognus. I will not let you stand in the way of my vision." Dedecus pulled out his lightsaber and ignited it, pointing it directly at Cognus, who happened to be just barely out of reach. Cognus didn't say anything. Dedecus could see that she was smiling, but it was a menacing one. Cognus pulled out her lightsaber hilt and ignited it was well. Cognus' hilt was a complex design. The entire hilt was black, the bottom was blunt, but at the blade emitter, there were 4 spikes surrounding the blade. She held her lightsaber at her side, before quickly striking Dedecus, who effortlessly parried. Cognus was a master of the Niman form, a form which Dedecus was unfamiliar with. Cognus pressed the attack, every movement she did was both effective and deadly. Dedecus was forced to retreat and block. After close to a minute of just defending, Dedecus saw a counterattacking opportunity. Dedecus slammed his weight into Cognus as she was spinning, and then used the opportunity to strike. Cognus immediately parried and picked Dedecus up using the force and slammed him to the ground. The resulting force was so strong, part of the roof collapsed, and Dedecus fell inside. Cognus jumped down after him.

The interior of the building was dark. Dedecus could still smell the harsh chemicals. He was on an elevated corridor, which was very long, but only about 2 meters wide. Cognus withdrew her lightsaber, hoping to conceal herself, but Dedecus knew where she was at all times. As the two quietly tiptoed, Dedecus suddenly drew out his lightsaber again and charged. Once again, Cognus was too experienced. Dedecus couldn't get any offense going, and he knew defense took a lot more concentration. If the battle continued, he would tire. Dedecus spun his blade around so that the blade pointed in the opposite direction of his thumb. The reverse grip was a difficult technique to master. Cognus relentlessly pressed the attack. Dedecus tried a diagonal slash, but Cognus evaded by simply hoping back. She then put both hands on her lightsaber and held the blade behind her back, preparing for a brutal strike. Dedecus knew the reverse grip was no very good against strong strikes, so he switched his grip. Unfortunately, it was too late, Cognus' blade already was in motion. Dedecus grabbed his master's hilt, and then kicked her in her stomach, which pushed Cognus to the ground, a couple meters away. As his master was on the ground, he smirked and then sent out a wave of lighting. Cognus barely had time to shield herself with her dark side force barrier. The barrier was like a box, it protected against various force attacks, but it also required immense concentration to keep it working. The lightning was deflected in all directions, but Dedecus was unaffected by the flailing bolts of electricity. Dedecus remembered what the Wrath had said about an opponent whose defense was impenetrable. "use the force to deflect your enemy's rage, and then empower yourself with your own." The Wrath's words echoed in Dedecus' mind. Then, a lesson from Darth Nox also found its way to Dedecus' consciousness. "the force has physical might, but it can also be used to confuse and terrorize your opponent. A deceptive attack is often the best." Dedecus channeled his rage, and entered the Shien form. Shien was Dedecus' favorite form. He had a natural affinity for it. While he was proficient in both Shii-Cho and Soresu, Shien complimented his physical build, as well as his deadly tendencies. Cognus just got up, but her force barrier was dispelled from all the recoiling bolts.

Dedecus felt like he had finally gotten the upper hand. He proudly said "your powers are failing master. This is the end." Cognus then laughed and said "but my apprentice, I haven't even yet begun to fight." Dedecus was a little unnerved by his master's unshakeable confidence. Cognus then swiftly disappeared, and reappeared behind him. Dedecus attempted to stab her from behind, but Cognus disappeared again. Dedecus recognized this technique. It was a force speed based maneuver. Except Cognus was far faster than he thought possible. Cognus appeared again, this time, slashing Dedecus in the arm, who was far too slow to block. Dedecus clutched his arm, pretending not to feel any pain. Dedecus then positioned himself. He channeled his dark side powers. Cognus once again, in a flash appeared, this time, she was attacking Dedecus from the air. As her blade descended for the final blow, Dedecus parried. Cognus was unimpressed, and flipped onto the wall, and attempted another strike. Dedecus once again parried. Cognus did this several more times. She would appear in a flash, and strike, but Dedecus sensed where she was coming, something he wouldn't have been able to do a few years ago. Cognus realized she was failing, so she prepared a final attack.

Dedecus felt the air around him grow heavy, Cognus sent out so much dark side radiation it was painful to be anywhere near her. She once used her force speed attacks, but this time, she feinted an attack, and then dodged Dedecus' lethal counterattack. Cognus danced around her former apprentice, and eventually got to his back. Back-to-back, Cognus tried to slash Dedecus in half, but Dedecus stopped the hilt, just before it severed him at the torso. Cognus was strong, but Dedecus was stronger. He tried to destroy Cognus' hilt, but failed. Cognus had sent out a force wave, knocking them both on the ground. Dedecus then threw his lightsaber forward. Cognis raised her blade to intercept the flying weapon, but the lightsaber stopped midflight. Dedecus then used a powerful force pull on his master and the lightsaber simultaneously. He flipped in the air, catching his lightsaber, and preparing to end the duel. Cognus sent out a force explosion to save herself. Cognus was visibly shaken, that last attack was expertly executed, and would've killed many powerful jedi and sith. Dedecus ran towards his master, but she outwitted him. She sidestepped, and pushed him against the railing of the corridor. Dedecus could smell the toxic fumes beneath him. Falling down meant certain death. Cognus channeled a large burst of force energy. Dedecus attempted to cut off his master's hand to dispel the technique, but it was too late. Cognus hilt Dedecus in the head with her hilt, and then took her fist full of concentrated energy and punched Dedecus in his stomach. The force was immense. Dedecus felt his body, and the air around him vibrate. The rails broke off, and Dedecus was propelled like a bullet several meters before finally noticing he was falling down. As he looked down he became horrified. He was falling directly into a hole with acidic chemicals. He knew he could only shield himself. He activated the strongest dark side force barrier he could, summoned his rage to use as a shield, and braced himself for impact.

This was of little help. Dedecus fell inside, and Cognus could hear his screams from below. A single tear escaped her eye, and fell along the right side of her face. The screams seemed eternal, but it hadn't even been a minute yet. Cognus began to silently cry as the screams didn't stop. The lone tear had become a stream from both eyes. Eventually, the screams stopped. Cognus stood there for several minutes, and then walked away, unsure what to do.

Dedecus had emerged from the pit. His body was horribly burned. His flesh had boils over it, his looks were completely gone. His face was deformed, his fingers were disfigured, but he continued. He knew the only way to survive was to use _that _technique. Nox mastered a form of extreme healing. It could cure dozens of mortally wounded within a few minutes. Dedecus used whatever strength he had to cover himself with a purple and green aura. He could feel his pain subside, but he could also feel himself losing energy. He kept the technique going as long as he could. After several minutes, he was done. His burns were mostly gone, but the side effects were obvious. His skin had turned a pale yellow, and his whole body felt like it had aged 100 years. His vitality was gone, but he was _alive. _This meant he could still kill his master, for what she did to him.

Dedecus retrieved his lightsaber, which was damaged, but luckily was still functioning. He jumped up to the corridor above, and then outside the building. To his surprise, he saw Cognus just standing there, as if she knew. Dedecus didn't have anything to say. He ignited his ligthsaber, and then charged Cognus. This was risky, as his guard was wide open. Cognus could've blasted him again with another powerful force technique. Then something happened with surprised them both.

Cognus walked towards the charing Dedecus and kicked his lightsaber out of his hand. Dedecus immediately used force pull to retrieve his weapon. As he did Cognus grabbed it again, and placed it Dedecus' hand. The hilt was pointing towards' Cognus' stomach. Both master and apprentice were unsure of what to do. Cognus ignited the lightsaber, impaling herself as Dedecus looked in disbelief. As Cognus fell to the floor, she looked at Dedecus and said in an unusually quiet voice. "I love you too. Don't make my mistake." Cognus tried to say something else, but it was too late. She had stuck several vital organs. Dedecus sat there, shocked. Now there was only one sith. He had barely survived, and was permanently disfigured. The jedi were still strong, and a significant portion of his power base was destroyed. He felt he had lost everything.

After several hours of letting reality settle in, he stood up. The day had become dusk, and the colorful sky had begun to fade. He laid his master on her back, and spread her arms out. He then thought to himself. "This is what it means to be a sith master. You must cast aside all desires for the sake of the order. While love is a powerful motivator, it must never cloud judgment." Dedecus knew that from this day forward, he would be a master sith. There was nothing else for him. Cognus had taught him many valuable lessons. It was this moment when it crystallized for him. Cognus did love him all along. She didn't visibly return his affection because she cared for him too much. She knew he was to be the master someday, and she would risk her life to see that happen." It was this moment that Dedecus regained his resolve, and felt more empowered than ever.

As Dedecus flew off of Quesh, he contemplated his next moves. He was going to get revenge on the Mandalorian clan that banished him. He then would have to train an apprentice. Dedecus refused to let his apprentice kill him. He had learned so much, and could best serve the order if he remained alive until the force claimed him. He touched down on Corellia, his new permanent home, and headed toward his private building, on the outskirts of Axial Park.

Epilogue-

"Hello, rising pupil of the dark side, I am Darth Dedecus. I was the apprentice of Darth Cognus, and heir of the Banite lineage. I was born as a Mandalorian, but eventually became a powerful sith master. I decree that from his day forward, the Rule of Two will be modified. The master must always continue to learn dark side secrets, so the apprentice will not kill him or her. The apprentice will now only become master after the master dies of natural causes or an accident. This doesn't undermine Bane's Grand Plan. The master and apprentice must unite as one unit, not being involved in undermining the other. This is the best way to accelerate the Grand Plan. My apprentice and I will not live to see the end of the republic, but the next descendants of our lineage might, and I intend to do everything in my power to crush the republic and it's covert tyranny. I have made several other holocrons. I have some which show force techniques and lightsaber maneuvers. Others are about my life before becoming sith, and my _interesting _relationship with Darth Cognus. This is my legacy. I am Darth Dedecus, true Master of the Sith.

"I think I understand master, where should I begin?"


End file.
